Kelly Rowland Talks About Her Topless VIBE Cover and Feeling On Yourself… Literally

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In case you haven’t noticed, Kelly Rowland is exposing a lot more than usual. We caught up with VIBE’s latest cover woman at her album release party to talk about posing topless for our annual Juice issue, as well as the meaning behind Here I Am’s scandolous “Feelin Me Right Now” (an ode to masturbation or a same-sex assignation? – we’re still figuring that one out). See what Miss Kelly had to say below, and don’t forget to cop VIBE’s Juice issue when it officially hits newsstands August 16. —Stephanie Long

ON POSING TOPLESS FOR VIBE:

“For me, it was about feeling comfortable in my own skin, and that’s the same way I expressed myself on the album packaging. I remember when I spoke to Derek Blanks like ‘How do you wanna shoot it? What wardrobe ideas do you have?’ I said ‘To be honest with you I want it to be so beautifully shot with skin,’ and he was like, ‘What?!’ [Laughs] So when I got to the shoot he’s like ‘Okay, what’s for wardrobe?’ and I’m like ‘Here’s a pair of jeans. And here’s a little bandeau top for my boobs and a little bitty thong to wear or whatever, which is nothing. And it was just awesome and it all worked out and he did it so beautifully and so classy. And my mom approved, and that’s all that counts to me.”

ON “FEELING ME RIGHT NOW”:

“That song can be taken in a lot of different ways, and I mean them all. But I mean them all because the thing about that record is it’s an expression of just feeling yourself as a woman and just being confident in your skin period. And if you wanna go home by yourself and chill… Or [pauses]… Yeah, just by yourself. [Laughs]”